Thursday, January 20, 2011

Book Reading #1: The Psychopathology of Everyday Things

Chapter 1

Summary

In this first chapter, the author introduces the concepts of elements that help to comprise good or poor design practices. He explains user frustrations with many commonplace devices, including telephone systems and doors.  He introduces the design concepts of affordances, conceptual models, adequate visibility, mapping, and feedback.

Discussion

The author makes many salient points about the conventions about modern technology and design choices implemented in everyday items. I have encountered some of the problems he outlined myself. While the material seems a little dated - as there is no mention of DVD, for instance - he presents the main concepts behind creating a good working design for everyday items that is still relevant to those making these objects.

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